“The Imaginary Invalid” Canceled Due to a Heat Wave, or When Argan Meets Labor Law

On Sunday, I was supposed to go see *The Imaginary Invalid*. The performance was ultimately canceled: the theater didn’t have air conditioning, and the heat made it impossible to put on the show.

My first reaction was that of a disappointed audience member. Then I realized that, deep down, this wasn’t really about theater. It was about work. Behind this cancellation were actors, musicians, technicians, costume assistants, ushers, stage managers… Women and men who, like so many others, could no longer do their jobs under conditions that were safe for their health.

The irony of the situation is that Molière had built his entire play around a man convinced he was ill, brilliantly mocking imaginary ailments and false remedies. Three centuries later, it is theaters that are closing—no longer because of an ailment that some would still have us believe is imaginary, but because heat has become a very real risk.

For a long time, under labor law, heat was primarily addressed under the employer’s general duty to ensure safety. It was treated like any other occupational hazard, pursuant to Article L. 4121-1 of the Labor Code. This approach has changed with Decree No. 2025-482 of May 27, 2025, which has been in effect since July 1, 2025. For the first time, the Labor Code establishes specific provisions for periods of intense heat. Heat-related risk is now recognized as an identified occupational hazard, to which specific prevention obligations are attached.

This change is far from symbolic. The text no longer merely requires employers to take action when it gets hot; it requires them to plan ahead. As soon as Météo-France issues a yellow, orange, or red alert, the risk must be assessed, incorporated into the DUERP, and appropriate measures must be planned and then implemented: adjusting work schedules, reorganizing work, increasing breaks, access to sufficient quantities of cool water, workplace adjustments, employee information, and alert and emergency procedures…

The directive issued by the General Directorate of Labor on May 22, 2026, is in line with this approach. It mobilizes labor inspectors to ensure the implementation of these new obligations and calls for increased inspections during heat waves. A few weeks later, the Ministry of Labor convened the social partners to launch a broader discussion on the sustainable adaptation of work organization to extreme heat. The issue now goes beyond simply managing a heat wave: it raises questions about how we work in a changing climate.

As a lawyer representing employers, I understand how these new requirements raise very practical questions. The decree of May 27, 2025, is undoubtedly just the first step in adapting the law to climate change. Our role now is to help companies translate these new requirements into practical solutions. Ultimately, in labor law as in other areas, prevention is almost always less costly than remediation.

On Sunday, I won’t be seeing *The Imaginary Invalid* after all. At least this cancellation has reminded me of just how surprisingly relevant Molière remains when he writes that “almost all men die from their remedies rather than from their illnesses.” In the face of extreme heat, the best remedy has a much less dramatic name: preparation.